Moving Minds

19 February – 15 April 2016

Private View: Thursday 18 February, 6pm

Curator: Mike Corcoran

“If, as we confront some task, a part of the world functions as a process which, were it done in the head, we would have no hesitation in recognizing as part of the cognitive process, then that part of the world is (so we claim) part of the cognitive process. Cognitive processes ain't (all) in the head!”

Clark and Chalmers, ‘The Extended Mind’ (1998)

There is nothing we have more intimate access to than the contents of our own minds, yet there is perhaps nothing as elusive as the mind itself. Where is it? What is it made from? And how do the answers to these questions impact on each of us?

Moving Minds is an exploration of the mind’s relationship to brain, body and world. It will uncover some of the cutting edge ideas in philosophy of mind, computational science and connected fields on the subject of Extended Cognition: the view that elements of the external environment can play a causally active role in the mental life of an individual. That is, the view that our minds extend the body, and reach out into the world!

Art is a form of communication which transcends language, reference and subject. It can engage audiences with concepts in a way that no other form of communication can, and as such, it can create foundations upon which people can be introduced to new ideas, and new ways of thinking.

The exhibition will see artists, performers and creative practitioners from across the UK and around the world bring the latest developments in our understanding of the mind to life in brand new ways. It will not only be an exhibition of art, but an exhibition of new ideas, inviting everyone who attends to reflect on their own minds, on the relationship between their body, their brain and their world, and on the implications of adopting this new way of thinking for their own lives.